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A veterans address to the Congress and Senate
If I were somehow able to address our Congress and Senate in assembly, I would have a few words to say:
One of your jobs is to support the men and women who serve and those who have served. If not for our Armed Forces, would America be a free sovereign Nation today? If you honorable members of the Congress and Senate want to help those who served America at the risk of life and hardship,will you support and care for those who survived? Those who now need help who are sick and those who will need future help and care who may become sick? Is America obligated or is she not obligated to her fighting men and women? I ask you; Who is accountable?
I ask you to pass legislation to help those who are sick and may become sick, due to horror of war. I ask you to stand up if you believe America is obligated to care for its own in the service of their Country. Those of you who feel there is little to no obligation, then remain seated.
I, along with millions of Vietnam veterans, were willing to give their life for their Country in time of war. I, and all those others who served with Honor and dignity were not willing to give their life to a government who knowingly poisoned us.
My advocacy and mission is to help Vietnam veterans who are sick due to agent orange exposure. Veterans who did not have boots-on-ground, in most cases, can not qualify for VA disability. I write, why we need House Bill HR-3612 and Senate Bill S.1629 passed. These Bills will restore VA benefits for Vietnam veterans who need help. I ask the American people to write to Congress and Senate to support these Bills.
In the words of our Forefathers: We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty, to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.
Hence, upon these words as stated, as written, our Nation was formed.
~
This contribution submitted by: John J. Bury, US Navy
Retired - Vietnam War Veteran - Valued American
Veterans: What Priority?
Military service personnel of all branches of service, be it Army, Navy, Marine Corp, Air Force or Coast Guard. They serve with pride and honor and are sworn to protect our Country’s borders, our Constitution and Bill of Rights. They serve in peace time and war time, all with one common goal, our Country’s Freedom.
We who served and those who now serve, ask only to be cared for by our Government if we have become sick with disease or injured in the line of duty. We are from all walks of life. We represent all religious faiths, all races, all political parties.
There's no 'I' in team; and there is no 'Team' in VA!
It has been argued by me that the VA disability claim process is in fact an adversarial system in many ways regardless of the government and VA's claim to that of an non-adversarial process. I recognize and have considered the opinion of some that cite the many requirements that the VA must comply with that in fact indicate and prove that the system is non-adversarial. However a requirement is one thing and actually following through with those requirements is another thing entirely.
What is wrong with the VA?
Recently, September 30th, 2011, John L. Wilson, Assistant National Legislative Director for the Disabled American Veterans, testified before the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs and identified areas where the VBA could improve with his main focus on two areas; Training and Accountability.
After reading the entire opening statement submitted by Mr. Wilson I found that he made many valid points that has directly affected me and my experiences with the VA Claims process. It was when he reached a certain point of his testimony I was inspired to editorialize my views here. What follows is excerpts from his testimony that I am refering to and for what reason I found it to be dead on and relevant right at this moment.
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<< Start < Prev 1 2 3 4 5 6 Next > End >>Smile, Mom!
It’s true—my mom is my biggest fan. When you walk into her kitchen she has an 8 X 11 sized photocopy of my VA business card taped to the refrigerator. On her desk, she has two (practically identical) graduation photos placed next to one another. “Katie, your smile is slightly different in this one.” Next to her bed, in a cheap wooden frame, sits a ...
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Social media has irreversibly changed the way we communicate and access information, from finding out the latest gossip to fueling revolutions around the world. Now that Facebook reaches nearly a billion people worldwide, we must find innovative ways to reach and connect people who may be in emotional crisis when seconds count.
Facebook, Blue Star...
Read more...Essay Contest: Honoring Fathers Who Serve
In honor of Father’s Day, we here at VA need your help to thank the men who have shaped our lives. Through an essay contest, we will put together a tribute honoring father Veterans. We want to hear from wives, mothers, and children, about why you’re proud of your Veteran. Tell us about his service; stories of deployments; his fondest military mem...
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When I first heard about the Farmer Veteran Coalition, a non-profit that connects military Veterans with farming, I thought, “Wow – how random and specific.” Then I found out about the rural nature of today’s military and Veteran population. Many people from small farming communities join the military, leaving their family farms to serve their coun...
Thank You Mom, For Helping Me Serve
Janny, as I affectionately call my mom, has never questioned my commitment to work for Veterans, even when I have. Working in a bureaucracy can be crushing and I’d be lying if I said there weren’t days when I just want to pack it all in. But my mom never lets me give up. She listened carefully when I stressed about putting pen to paper to explai...
Read more...Thank You for Being Home, Mom
I am sitting at my desk at the Department of Veterans Affairs in Washington, D.C. with a Mother’s Day card in hand and I can’t find the words.
My thoughts wander back to my last trip home to Vermont for her birthday in April. My brothers and I went for a hike up Arrowhead Mountain. It was a beautiful day and I’ll never forget the...
Read more...My Foundation
During my eleven and a half years in the US Army Reserve, I deployed three times to Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. After each deployment, I had varying issues. Trying to cope with the loss of friends and the realities of war, I was also trying to find myself wearing my other uniform as a citizen soldier. Active duty soldiers may only...
The 2012 Warrior Games are Underway
More than 200 wounded or injured active duty troops and Veterans, along with nearly two dozen British troops, have kicked off the 2012 Warrior Games at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
The event, hosted by the U.S. Olympic Committee, will introduce service members to Paralympic sports. Athletes will compete in seven...
Read more...What VA Doctors and Veterans Do On Their Time Off
Emergency medicine is often stressful and complex with doctors given little time for contemplation as they make critical medical decisions that may mean the difference between life and death.
Many doctors like to take relaxing vacations at a resort or island getaways to get away from the pressure. Dr. Jim Johnson is not one of those doctors. Dr. J...
Read more...Post-9/11 Veteran Unemployment Rate Still Falling; At 9.2 Percent
On Friday, the Bureau of Labor Statistics released Veteran unemployment data for the month of April. The unemployment rate for one closely watched group, Iraq and Afghanistan-era Veterans (or Gulf War II-era Veterans), fell more than a full percentage point to 9.2 percent.
While much work remains to be done, since January 2012, post-9/11 Veterans...
Read more...ED Celebrates Public Service Recognition Week
Teachers, firefighters, police officers, government employees, military—day in and day out these public servants work tirelessly for citizens across the country. To celebrate Public Service Recognition Week (May 6th-12th) and the positive impact these individuals’ work has on our lives, we are dedicating this month’s #AskFAFSA Office Hours to our n...
VA and HUD Join Forces to Help At-Risk and Homeless Vets
Communities across the country are helping to raise awareness of Veteran homelessness so that millions of Americans can live better lives. Our Veterans can face a variety of stresses when they return home from service, including finding themselves homeless or at risk of homelessness. VA is doing its part to give Veterans and their families the...
Why Can’t Some Veterans Get Jobs?
Veterans continue to struggle to gain employment because of culture gaps between civilian society and their military pasts, as well as a lack of seamless integration amongst Veteran care programs.
Years ago companies and small businesses would give priority to veterans for work from their State’s Unemployment Office. Unfortunately for Veterans, t...
Read more...Coming Soon: A Program to Retrain Vets
The issue of unemployment continues to impact folks across the country, and while there are promising signs that the newest generation of Vets has seen a downward trend in unemployment lately, much work remains to get Vets into meaningful jobs.
To help do that, we’re rolling out the Veterans Retraining Assistance Program. The program is designed to...
Read more...Intel Report, February 10
Your Intel Report for this week:
- Secretary Shinseki met with Veterans at a trade school that began accepting the Post-9/11 GI Bill for the first time this year. Veterans can now use education benefits at institutions beyond traditional universities.
- This year, 20 Mobile Vet Centers will roll out in support mental health and counseling services for...
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U.S. Veteran Exposes Pentagon's Denials of Agent Orange Use on Okinawa
Originally published in The Asia Pacific Journal Japan Focus
Thousands of barrels of Agent Orange were unloaded on Okinawa Island and stored at the port of Naha, and at the U.S. military's Kadena and Camp Schwab bases between 1965 and 1966, an American veteran who served in Okinawa claims.
In a Jacksonville Florida interview in early...
